New brand honors the maker’s spirit of York County
York, PA – From our fields to our factories, York County is known worldwide for the things we make. York County now has a new destination brand to attract visitors built on the maker’s spirit that drives our economy.
The new brand, logo, and tagline Have It Made Here embrace York County’s history, economy, landscape and sense of community. The tagline evokes a feeling of prosperity, high quality of life, and a legacy of creativity. You will have it made at the many cutting-edge restaurants that fill our cities, towns, boroughs, and countryside. Have it made on the same streets, rivers, and in the buildings where our country’s founders created history. Have it made while sipping a glass of wine, beer, or spirits along the Good Libations Trails. Have it made while seeing how your favorite snacks or motorcycles are created. Just like our county, the concept is multi-layered.
The new brand reflects over eighteen months of work researching and refining what will serve as the calling card for York County. With the goal of creating a unified county brand, seven organizations in York County came together to identify what makes our destination unique and attractive to visitors. Our team contracted with national destination branding firm NorthStar Destination Strategies to conduct research including site visits, focus groups, community surveys, and a competitive analysis to identify key components for the new branding strategy. From motorcycles to snack foods, art to history, we make it all in York County, and we’re inviting visitors to make memories in a setting to suit every moment, every passion, every lifestyle.
“This has truly been a collaborative effort with seven different prominent York County organizations all playing a role,” said Laura Gurreri, president of the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “I am thrilled the CVB will be leading the charge with implementation on this new brand. Plans are underway to incorporate a new county page on yorkpa.org, then completely redesign our website to align with the new brand standards.”
In addition to the York County CVB, the Brand York Team consists of representatives from organizations including the Cultural Alliance of York County, Downtown Inc, Main Street Hanover, York County Government, York County Economic Alliance, and the York County Community Foundation. Organizations are encouraged to support the county brand and build brand awareness. If you would like more information or need ideas on how your business or organization can incorporate elements of the county brand to further promote brand awareness, please contact Destination Marketing Director Louise Heine at the York County CVB.
The new Have It Made Here brand is the parent brand to Downtown York’s Historically Edgy. The research used to create both brands was completed at the same time and determined that Downtown York was the creative core for the makers of York County. “Visitors will notice complementary color palates and graphic cues such as the split circle that visually tie the two brands together,” explains Gurreri. “But the integration goes far deeper into how we describe ourselves to visitors and our community. As we begin to use Have It Made Here throughout the county, those commonalities will become more apparent.”
The first stage of the branding process consisted of county-wide research and was made possible by a grant awarded by the York County Tourism Grant Committee during the 2017 Round 1 grant program. A second grant was awarded during the 2018 Round 1 that will go toward implementation and promotion of the new county brand.
“When the grant application was presented to the York County Tourism Grant Committee, it was obvious all parties involved in this effort were passionate about our area,” said Eric Menzer, president of York Revolution and Chair of the York County Tourism Grant Committee. “That passion has shown through in every step of this process, and we believe this new brand will go a long way to building a stronger more cohesive county and result in a significant increase to the number of visitors.”
The York County Convention & Visitors Bureau’s mission is to maximize tourism expenditures and their economic impact in York County, PA, through comprehensive tourism sales and marketing programs. The York County CVB’s vision is for a York County where tourism is recognized for the value of its economic impact and its role in raising the profile of York County as a sought-after destination. Tourism generates significant positive economic impact across York County. According to Tourism Economics report, The Economic Impact of Travel in Pennsylvania: Tourism Satellite Account Calendar Year 2016, visitors spent $973.6 million in York County in 2016 and during that same year, the industry employed 7,912 people around the county. For more information on the York County Convention & Visitors Bureau, call 1-888-858-9675 or visit www.yorkpa.org.
